Nick Nurse's Market Trimmed Down to Suns, Sixers

On Saturday, the Milwaukee Bucks exited the head coaching market as they are set to make their hiring of Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin official sooner than later.

While Milwaukee finding its coach is big news for the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest of the Eastern Conference, the fact that one of the finalists for the job removed themselves from consideration was even more notable, considering the circumstances at hand.

Former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse hit the open market last month after the Raptors came up short during the 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament. Weeks prior to the loss, Nurse made it clear that there would be a reflection period during the offseason, hinting that his future in Toronto was unclear.

While Nurse showed signs of possibly resigning, the Raptors made the call to let him go. At the time, Nurse was a notable candidate for the Houston Rockets, as they moved on from Stephen Silas. While the Rockets' job seemed like Nurse’s to lose, the Rockets went in a different direction and hired former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.

From then on, everything went quiet on the Nurse front until several other teams entered the open market following the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

The Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Bucks became three contenders in search of a head coach after failing to meet expectations in the postseason. Several reports last week indicated that Nurse was a finalist for the Suns and Bucks job, while he remained one of six candidates to replace Doc Rivers in Philadelphia.

While many believed that Nurse had a good chance at landing the Bucks job to replace Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee went in a different direction as Nurse removed himself from the race, according to several reports on Saturday.

One can assume that Nurse will choose between Phoenix and Philadelphia as his next stop. However, it’s unclear where either organization is at right now.

Last week, it was reported that the Suns had named five finalists to replace Monty Williams. Among them are Nurse, Doc Rivers, Frank Vogel, Kevin Young, and Jordi Fernandez. While Nurse brings championship experience to the table, Phoenix’s top assistant Kevin Young has gained a lot of traction recently.

Some familiarity in Philadelphia for Nurse could give the Sixers an upper hand. Back when the 76ers’ President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey ran the Houston Rockets front office, Nurse was a part of the team’s developmental organization, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, reuniting with Morey in Philadelphia is “very much enticing to Nurse.” Pompey added that there hadn’t been any confirmation whether or not the Sixers offered Nurse the job to replace Rivers.

Nurse could very well be a top candidate for the 76ers, but there are five other relevant names in the search. Along with the former Raptors coach, the Sixers have targeted former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel, former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, former Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, former Suns head coach Monty Williams, and current 76ers assistant Sam Cassell.